


“You never have to ask me.”

by icemakestars



Series: ♡ 100 WAYS TO SAY "I LOVE YOU" ♡ [75]
Category: Edens Zero (Manga)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Unresolved Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:09:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29661546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icemakestars/pseuds/icemakestars
Summary: Justice doesn’t expect Eraser to be as accommodating as he is.
Relationships: Eraser/Justice (Edens Zero)
Series: ♡ 100 WAYS TO SAY "I LOVE YOU" ♡ [75]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1283213
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	“You never have to ask me.”

**Author's Note:**

> A reque$t from my dear friend ahri <3

The infirmary at the HQ for the Oracion Seis Interstellar was at the other end of the building to where Justice held his quarters, and although it would usually take him less than ten minutes to make the journey, looking at the long corridor now almost had Justice admitting defeat. A week had passed since the fight with Elsie, and although his anger had calmed, his desire for justice still raged firmly in his heart. He couldn’t believe that he had lost, that he had once again let her slip away. That he had been so  _ weak _ \- 

“Are you planning on moving from there or should I grab you a blanket so you can settle in for the night?” 

The voice made Justice jump, he was so lost within his own mind. But the subtle sneer was unmistakable; the feeling that whether you answered or not, you were being patronised. Justice knew it very well. 

“What do you want, Eraser?” 

Things between Eraser and himself had been strange for a while, but Justice still hadn’t figured out why, or how he felt about the other man. It was awkward, but he was tired, too tired to even try and entertain the other man today. Eraser was wearing his standard uniform and regulation cockiness, offering Justice a small, sly smile. 

“You think I need a reason to come and visit my dear, sweet Justice?” Eraser clamped a hand dramatically over his heart. “I’m wounded.” 

When Justice rolled his eyes, Justice laughed. The way that Eraser laughed was cruel, as though he wasn’t willing to share the joke with anyone other than himself. It seemed as though Holy always understood and sometimes even joined in, but Justice never could. 

With a sigh, Justice bent down to grab his bags. Every movement made his side ache, but he tried hard not to let the pain show, especially with how intently Eraser was staring at him. 

“Should you be lifting those?” For once, Justice found a shred of sincerity in Eraser’s words, but it wasn’t enough for him. 

“I’m not an invalid.” Justice snapped, his temper was subdued with how  _ tired  _ he was. 

“No, you’re an idiot.”

As Justice tried to take a step forward, the throbbing pain in his side spiked, and he clenched up. In seconds, Eraser had one hand on the small of Justice’s back, leaning into the other man’s face with something which looked close to concern. Justice hated the feel of Eraser’s skin, hated how even through cloth, he was a slave to that warmth, that tenderness. Hated that he  _ craved  _ it. So Justice did all he could; he pulled away with wide, doleful eyes, caught between fearing Eraser’s touch and wanting nothing more than to curl into it. The black-haired man, for once, was decent enough not to comment. His lips pulled into a smile, and he snatched the bags from Justice’s hands as though they weighed nothing, swinging them around like freshly stuffed pillows, and that just frustrated Justice even more. He felt like he was being mocked, not an uncommon occurrence whenever Eraser or Holy decided to visit.

Eraser cleared his throat. “Let’s go.” 

It was hard to walk, the pain shooting up his spine like firecrackers, but Justice was a proud man; he wouldn’t show weakness in front of an enemy, and that held especially true for a friend. Although Justice wasn’t entirely sure where Eraser fell between the two. 

Watching Justice from the corner of his eye, Eraser barked out a single, mocking laugh. “Take your time.” 

Justice leant slightly on the wall, as discreetly as possible. “I didn’t ask you to come.” 

Eraser stared for a moment, wide-eyed and searching. What he was searching  _ for _ , Justice didn’t know. Or if Eraser had even found it. 

“You never have to ask me, Justice.” Eraser’s smile seemed almost… genuine. Justice’s brow furrowed. “But I’ll always be there.” 

Without giving Justice any time to process his sudden burst of earnestness, Eraser took off down the corridor, carrying Justice’s bags as though they were lighter than the clothes on his back. Justice only hesitated for a moment before following Eraser down the corridor, keeping a step behind so that Eraser wouldn’t comment on his limp. They walked in uncomfortable silence, with something thick and sticky between them. Justice felt as though there was something that Eraser wanted to say, but hadn’t yet, and that was an unbearable thought; there was nothing which Eraser was unafraid to say. How bad could it be? Justice was exhausted, and barely fighting off the pain; it was possible that Eraser was trying to spare him more discomfort, but even that was a rare act of kindness which Justice wasn’t used to from the other man. 

“Here we are.” Eraser turned with a smile, taking a step back from Justice’s quarters so that the other man could open the door. 

The scanner on the door registered Justice’s handprint and slid open, and then he paused, suddenly self-conscious. It was unreasonable, how aware of Eraser he had become over the last few months, and now here he was, standing with Eraser in front of his bedroom. Alone and blushing. He felt pathetic. 

“Thank you for bringing my bags.” Justiced said, coughing slightly into his hand. 

Eraser took one step into his room, just enough to set the bags down so that they wouldn’t be in the way, and then backed out again. 

“If you need anything else, let me know.” Eraser bowed dramatically, and Justice rolled his eyes. 

“What are you, some kind of prince charming?” 

“Only for you.” Eraser winked. 

Justice felt the blood rush to his face, and he opened his mouth to protest, but before any substantial words could come out Eraser was already retreating down the hallway, laughter billowing behind him as he went. 

The man was an enigma, one that Justice could barely begin to understand. His fist clenched and then thudded against the wall next to him. 

“That bastard.” Justice gritted his teeth, still flushed a shameful shade of red. 

This was what he hated most; the teasing, the not knowing how serious he should take what Eraser said. And even if he could tell what the other man was thinking, Justice wasn’t sure how he even felt about him. The closest to romance he had ever experienced was an arranged engagement to Elsie Crimson as a child, and that had ruined his life. Justice had sworn to never again let love overtake him. It was a sickness that he had already been cured of once, and he couldn’t risk becoming immune to the antidote. 

He slumped against the wall. “Shit.” 

If Justice felt a headache blooming after dealing with Eraser, it fully nestled itself into his skull when he heard the clack of Holy’s heels approaching. 

“What do you want?” Justice didn’t need to open his eyes to feel her presence; he could smell her sweet perfume, even from the small distance between them. 

“He never left your side, you know.” Holy’s voice was syrupy, as though she was treating you to a forbidden secret. And maybe she was. 

“He what?” Justice opened one eye, raised a brow. 

Holy placed her hand on his wrist. It should have been a delicate, reassuring touch, but her nails were long and acrylic and scratched his skin. Justice pulled away. 

“For the first week, before you had woken up from your injuries.” Holy ran her finger along where the bandages under Justice’s clothes were. “Eraser didn’t leave your bedside. He slept and ate there, too. Drove the healer mad.” 

She tucked a stray curl of hair behind her ear, tapping her nails on the door frame in a slow, irritating rhythm. 

“Now why would he do that?” Holy hummed, making an obvious display of tilting her head and frowning. 

Justice cleared her throat. He knew what she was doing, could feel the edges of her web begin to cling to his skin. But he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing him squirm, of wiggling further into her grasp. 

“I honestly have no idea.” 

Moving out of his doorway, Justice allowed himself a subtle glance down the hallway. Eraser had all but disappeared out of sight, but even the back of his head was enough to set Justice’s heart racing. 

“I’m going to lie down.” 

He hadn’t even closed the door before Holy began howling with laughter. She was insufferable, even more so when she was with Eraser; the two of them together set Justice’s nerves on edge, and yet he couldn’t say that he disliked them. He considered Holy a friend, and Eraser… well, Justice didn’t know what Eraser was to him. But he would figure it out, when he had the time. When he felt better. For now, it was enough to just unpack his things and settle into bed with a copy of the last battle report. He had work to do; everything else came second. 

That was just the way that it had to be. 


End file.
